# Hawaii HB 1541: RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

Hawaii HB 1541, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2) House bill sponsored by Gregg Takayama (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-05-28 (Act 057, 05/28/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1157).); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1541-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Hawaii HB 1541
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2)
- Title: RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-14
- Last action: 2026-05-28, Act 057, 05/28/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1157).
- Sponsor: Gregg Takayama (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Department of Health, Developmental Disabilities Division, Hawaii State Hospital, Positions, Civil Service Exemptions, HHS/LBT, WAM
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 12 (227 yes, 4 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

Exempts certain positions in the Developmental Disabilities Division of the Department of Health and Hawaii State Hospital from civil service. Authorizes the Director of Health to appoint two additional associate administrators and two project managers for the Hawaii State Hospital or a secure psychiatric rehabilitation facility. Effective 1/1/2050. (SD1)

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- More flexible hiring for health staff: mixed, low. The law exempts the developmental disabilities division’s federal initiatives operations coordinator and listed Hawaii State Hospital jobs from state civil service hiring rules. The hospital director may appoint five associate administrators instead of three, and two project managers, when needed a…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Gregg Takayama (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-05-06 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 49 | 2 |   |
| 2026-05-01 | House | The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments.... | pass | 4 | 0 |   |
| 2026-05-01 | Senate | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-10 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 25 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-06 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The... | pass | 12 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-25 | Senate | The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 4 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-25 | Senate | The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-05 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 48 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-27 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 15 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-19 | House | The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-06 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on LAB... | pass | 50 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-04 | House | The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 9 | 0 |   |

## Actions (50)

- 2026-05-28: Act 057, 05/28/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1157). (Senate)
- 2026-05-28: Act 057, on 05/28/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1157). (House)
- 2026-05-08: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888). (Senate)
- 2026-05-07: Transmitted to Governor. (House)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Iwamoto, Pierick voting no (2) and none excused (0). (House)
- 2026-05-06: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816). (House)
- 2026-05-01: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Takayama, Sayama, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Alcos; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-05-01: The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, Elefante, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 167-26) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26. (House)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 167-26). (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26 (Senate)
- 2026-04-30: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 4:30PM in conference room 329. (House)
- 2026-04-29: Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Thursday, 04-30-26 4:30PM in conference room 329. (House)
- 2026-04-23: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 810). (Senate)
- 2026-04-23: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 725). (House)
- 2026-04-22: House Conferees Appointed: Takayama, Sayama, Keohokapu-Lee Loy Co-Chairs; Alcos. (House)
- 2026-04-22: Senate Conferees Appointed: San Buenaventura Chair; Elefante, Kanuha Co-Chairs. (Senate)
- 2026-04-16: Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 599). (Senate)
- 2026-04-14: House disagrees with Senate amendment (s). (House)
- 2026-04-10: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2026-04-10: Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 521) in amended form (SD 1). (House)
- 2026-04-09: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3632) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: One Day Notice 04-10-26. (Senate)
- 2026-04-06: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Inouye, Fevella ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C.. (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-06-26 10:32AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Reported from HHS/LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3330) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-03-25: The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Lamosao, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Ihara, Moriwaki. (Senate)
- 2026-03-25: The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HHS were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, Kanuha, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) McKelvey ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Keohokalole. (Senate)
- 2026-03-17: The committee(s) on HHS/LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 03-25-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Referred to HHS/LBT, WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 16). (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 855-26), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2026-03-05: Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Alcos, Amato, Garcia voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2026-02-27: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Yamashita, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Perruso, Alcos, Gedeon; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Lee, M.. (House)
- 2026-02-24: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Friday, 02-27-26 10:00AM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-02-20: Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 647-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN. (House)
- 2026-02-20: Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1). (House)
- 2026-02-19: The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Kong. (House)
- 2026-02-17: Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Thursday, 02-19-26 9:30AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-02-06: Reported from HLT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 51-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to LAB. (House)
- 2026-02-06: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on LAB with Representative(s) Alcos, Amato, Garcia voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and none excused (0). (House)
- 2026-02-04: The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Takayama, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Hartsfield, Marten, Takenouchi; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Amato, Olds, Alcos, Garcia; Noes: none; and Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-01-30: Bill scheduled to be heard by HLT on Wednesday, 02-04-26 9:00AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-01-26: Referred to HLT, LAB, FIN, referral sheet 1 (House)
- 2026-01-21: Introduced and Pass First Reading. (House)
- 2026-01-14: Prefiled. (House)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_CD1_.pdf)
- HB1541_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_CD1_.HTM)
- HB1541_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_HD1_.HTM)
- HB1541_HD2: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_HD2_.HTM)
- HB1541_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_SD1_.HTM)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1157_.PDF)

## Related bills

- SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS. (became law)
- SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES. (signed)
- HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- SB 2964: RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE. (signed)

## Sources
- [Bill Text (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_CD1_.pdf)
- [HB1541_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_CD1_.HTM)
- [HB1541_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_HD1_.HTM)
- [HB1541_HD2 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_HD2_.HTM)
- [HB1541_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_SD1_.HTM)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1541_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1157_.PDF)

## Related
- [SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB847-2026)
- [SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2338-2026)
- [HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2344-2026)
- [HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2023-2026)
- [HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2021-2026)
- [SB 2964: RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2964-2026)
- [Hawaii bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii/bills)
- [Hawaii state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1541-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).